The steps to losing fat

Following on from last week’s article and thinking of Christmas at the same time, let me show you how you can lose fat, stay fit and eat healthily on the run up to this very indulgent time.

So, last week we talked body composition and how important it is to concentrate on the breakdown of your overall weight (fat, muscle and water) rather than just looking at your body weight as one factor.

What is an unhealthy body composition?

Generally speaking, it refers to carrying too much or excess body fat in comparison to your lean muscle mass.

As your body fat-to-lean ratio increases, so does your health risks.

In fact, more often than not an unhealthy body composition can lead to obesity. So we want to avoid this, and here is how to do it.

Step One - Reducing Body Fat and Eating Healthily

Right, sit down and concentrate on this stage because this is the step that will help you lose the most body fat.

To lose body fat we have to supply our body with healthy nutrients.

Let’s think of our bodies as a car; if we put unleaded into a diesel engine the car stops working properly and eventually stops working.

Nutrients work like petrol, eat the correct ones and they make your body work a lot better and are more likely to release fat to be burnt as energy.

Therefore, we need to eat real food, not processed or ready meals, no sugar or diet/ low fat drinks or foods. If we eat poor low quality foods that have no or low nutrients in them our bodies will request more food to be eaten. They do this by sending your brain messages - hungry ones. So good quality food = happy body = fat burning.

With this we also need to get plenty of sleep. Scientists have shown that a lack of sleep, less than 6 hours, can increase your risk of obesity. But how?

Several studies show that less sleep can increase your appetite. Other studies have shown that when we sleep our bodies uses its fat to replenish our muscles with energy.

Step Two - Stay Fit

Following on from the last step nicely is keeping our body fit, this works hand-in-hand with eating well. If we get our bodies to work harder and we supply them with the right foods, our bodies think it’s their birthday.

The good quality food gets used as energy and helps them function better, plus then your body will release more fat quicker and more effectively, during the day and when you’re asleep.

What do we class as keeping fit? Ideally we need to strengthen our muscles, all over our body.

At BodyComplete Bootcamp we make sure we use strength exercises in every session therefore our boot campers are getting an overall strength increase which equals more toned muscles which equals fitter bodies and reduced body fat.

At home you can start with the core exercises I gave you a couple of weeks ago, or start doing more manual jobs around the house or in the garden.

Also increase your cardiovascular exercise, not by pounding the streets and stressing your body in ways that will hurt or injure you, lots of recent studies have shown short sharp bursts are ideal. However, I would make sure you get professional advice before starting this type of fitness, to make sure your body is ready for it.

Step Three - Do it now

Just do it, don’t put it off. If you find these things hard to do, get involved in a community like BodyComplete where you are helped and guided in the right direction when it comes to health and fitness. To get support and to be part of a community is vital for keeping the healthy eating and fitness going long term.

Good luck and let me know how you get on or if you need some help or guidance to your new health, fit life contact me on 07747882217 or info@bodycomplete.co.uk